Saronic Harbors Archaeological Research Project (SHARP)

Saronic Harbors Archaeological Research Project (SHARP) focuses on Kalamianos, a Mycenaean harbor town of the 13th century BCE, unique for the extensive surface preservation of architectural foundations and walls. Kalamianos may have been Mycenae’s main Saronic harbor, and is perhaps the Eionai listed in the Homeric Catalogue of Ships.

Where

Kalamianos is located on the Saronic Gulf coast, near the village of Korphos in southeastern Corinthia province in southern Greece.

When

The site of Kalamianos was occupied through much of the Bronze Age (ca. 3200–1100 BCE), but the built harbor town falls mainly in the 13th century BCE, the last century of the Mycenaean palatial period.

Researchers

Thomas F. Tartaron, University of Pennsylvania

Daniel J. Pullen, Florida State University

Project Overview

SHARP investigates a recently discovered urban Mycenaean harbor site and its larger setting within the Saronic Gulf region. The foundations and walls of more than 50 buildings, some of them monumental, are preserved on the modern surface over 8 hectares. Architectural and artifactual studies allow us to securely date the construction and use of the harbor to the 13th century BCE, the peak of the Mycenaean palatial period. Finds from Kalamianos and other sites demonstrate that Kalamianos anchored a significant center of Mycenaean activity, and there is reason to believe that Kalamianos was Mycenae’s main harbor on the Saronic Gulf.